Boosting SSD Speed on Linux Mint

Solid State Drives (SSDs) have become the standard storage solution for modern computers, offering superior speed and reliability compared to traditional hard drives. However, to get the most out of your SSD on Linux Mint, several optimizations can be implemented. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to maximize your SSD’s performance while ensuring its longevity.

Understanding SSD Optimization Principles

Before diving into specific optimizations, it’s important to understand the key principles behind SSD performance and longevity:

TRIM support allows the operating system to inform the SSD which blocks of data are no longer in use and can be wiped internally. This helps maintain consistent performance over time. Modern Linux kernels and SSDs support TRIM by default, but we’ll verify and optimize its configuration.

The way your drive is mounted and which filesystem options are used can significantly impact both performance and longevity. We’ll focus on optimizing these settings while maintaining data integrity.

Prerequisites

Before making any changes, ensure you have:

• Root access to your system
• A backup of important data
• The drive’s model number and specifications
• A basic understanding of terminal commands

1. Verify TRIM Support

First, let’s verify that your SSD supports TRIM and that it’s enabled:

sudo hdparm -I /dev/sda | grep TRIM

Replace /dev/sda with your SSD’s device name. If TRIM is supported, you’ll see “TRIM supported” in the output.

To check if TRIM is actively running:

sudo fstrim -v /

If this command executes successfully, TRIM is working on your root partition.

2. Enable Periodic TRIM

While many modern Linux distributions enable periodic TRIM by default, let’s verify and optimize it:

sudo systemctl status fstrim.timer

If it’s not enabled, activate it with:

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer
sudo systemctl start fstrim.timer

By default, the timer runs weekly, which is suitable for most users. To customize the schedule, create a new timer configuration:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/fstrim.timer

Add these lines for daily TRIM:

[Unit]
Description=Trim SSD daily

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
AccuracySec=1h
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

3. Optimize Mount Options

The mount options in your /etc/fstab file can significantly impact SSD performance. Edit the file:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

For your SSD partitions, add these mount options:

noatime,nodiratime,discard=async

A typical entry might look like:

UUID=your-uuid-here / ext4 noatime,nodiratime,discard=async 0 1

The options mean:

• noatime: Disables writing access times for files and directories
• nodiratime: Disables writing access times for directories
• discard=async: Enables asynchronous TRIM operations

4. Filesystem Optimization

For ext4 filesystems (the default in Linux Mint), some additional optimizations can be applied:

sudo tune2fs -O fast_commit /dev/sda1
sudo tune2fs -o journal_data_writeback /dev/sda1

Replace /dev/sda1 with your partition name. These commands:

• Enable fast commit feature for faster filesystem operations
• Switch to writeback journal mode for better performance

5. I/O Scheduler Configuration

Modern SSDs benefit from using the right I/O scheduler. Check the current scheduler:

cat /sys/block/sda/queue/scheduler

For SSDs, the none (previously known as noop) or mq-deadline schedulers are recommended. To change it temporarily:

sudo echo mq-deadline > /sys/block/sda/queue/scheduler

For permanent changes, create a new udev rule:

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/60-scheduler.rules

Add this line:

ACTION=="add|change", KERNEL=="sd[a-z]", ATTR{queue/rotational}=="0", ATTR{queue/scheduler}="mq-deadline"

6. Swappiness Adjustment

If your system has adequate RAM, reducing swappiness can help reduce write wear:

sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

Add or modify this line:

vm.swappiness=10

Apply the change:

sudo sysctl -p

7. Final Optimization Steps

Browser Profile Optimization

Move browser cache to RAM to reduce write operations:

echo "export CHROMIUM_USER_FLAGS=\"--disk-cache-dir=/tmp/chrome-cache\"" >> ~/.profile

For Firefox, in about:config, set:

• browser.cache.disk.enable to false
• browser.cache.memory.enable to true

Temporary Files Location

Create a RAM disk for temporary files:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add:

tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular monitoring is essential. Install the smartmontools package:

sudo apt install smartmontools

Check your SSD’s health periodically:

sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda

Conclusion

These optimizations should significantly improve your SSD’s performance while maintaining its longevity. Remember to:

• Monitor your drive’s health regularly
• Keep your system updated
• Maintain adequate free space (at least 10-15%)
• Back up important data regularly

While these optimizations are generally safe, every system is unique. Monitor your system’s performance and stability after making changes, and be prepared to revert any modifications that cause issues.

Remember that modern SSDs are quite robust and some of these optimizations might offer minimal improvements on newer hardware. However, implementing these changes can still provide benefits, especially on older or heavily-used systems.